2015 Porseleinberg
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Tasting notes
This is still a little reductive, and will benefit from additional time in bottle. As this reduction blows off, it reveals a fynbos-accented nose of dark fruit. From a cool vintage, the palate is a tight ball still – intensely mineral and chalky, with impressive purity, but it’s not yet revealing its potential. One to watch. Aged for 12 months in 90% foudre and 10% concrete egg.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Tim Atkin MW
More reviews and scores
Syrah. Whole bunches, foot-trodden, and spontaneously fermented in concrete, with two pumpovers a day. 12 months’ maturation in foudre (90%) and concrete egg (10%). Natural cork. Tasted blind. First bottle: a tad grubby. Very drying end. Second bottle: lots of acidity and raciness. Polished and possibly Mullineux? Real energy. Very long. Mineral! Good on the world stage. Very 21st century. Sappy. (JR)
The 2015 Porseleinberg comes from a cool season that was just about perfect, according to Callie Louw. This was matured for 12 months, 90% in wooden foudres and 10% concrete eggs. Strangely, there is something slightly Médocian on the nose, pencil shavings infusing the mixture of red and black fruit, light leathery scents surfacing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, more harmonious than the 2014, quite deep yet elegant, with excellent tension toward the finish.
100% Syrah. With reserves from the very wet 2014 vintage and slightly above-average rainfall for the 2015 vintage the foundation was set for an exceptional harvest. Growing conditions were cool, no excessive winds or rain during flowering and fruit set and an inch and a half of rain during late November were all positive. Harvest kicked off quickly then settled down for some later pickings. Everything was just in perfect balance. Grapes were hand-picked and transferred as whole bunches to concrete tanks. The bunches were foot-stomped, after which natural fermentation took place. During the ferment two pumpovers were done per day until the fermentation was complete. Maturation took place over 12 months in 90% wood (foudre) and 10% concrete egg. Bottling was done early March 2016. Yield 5–6 t/ha. A famously successful vintage. ‘Boringly good’, according to winemaker Callie Louw. (They bought the old Goldmine vineyard around this time.) TA 5 g/l, pH 3.9, RS 2.5 g/l. Deep, concentrated garnet. Really lovely, complex nose. Sweet and fresh and utterly charming, and already a great drink. Though underneath there is probably enough fine tannin for the future. (JR)
About the producer
Porseleinberg is a single-site Syrah from the Swartland that has, since its first vintage in 2010, become one of South Africa’s most celebrated and sought-after wines. Made by cult winemaker Callie Louw from incredibly poor soils on the slopes of the Porseleinberg, the wine is rightfully revered.